Archangel Dojo

🥊 **New Muay Thai documentary is out now for members.**

This one asks a slightly uncomfortable question:

**Did Muay Thai create Thailand’s great fighters — or did Thailand’s great fighters create the legend of Muay Thai?**

The video goes public **Saturday at 2 PM CET**, but channel members can watch it now.

Members always get **early access to new documentaries**, along with occasional bonus material and other extras before everyone else. More importantly, membership directly helps me keep producing longer, research-heavy martial arts documentaries on Archangel Dojo.

If you enjoy the channel and want to support the work, becoming a member is one of the best ways to do it.

And for those interested in the deeper history behind **Muay Thai, Kyokushin and the birth of Japanese kickboxing**, I also cover that story extensively in *Way of the Empty Hand*.

See you in the comments. 🥋

1 week ago | [YT] | 93

Archangel Dojo

NEW VIDEO THIS SUNDAY — 2 PM CET 🥋

What happens when you take full-contact karate… add kickboxing… and then add grappling?

You get SHIDOKAN — one of the most unusual fighting systems to emerge from the Kyokushin world.

This Sunday, we explore Yoshiji Soeno’s journey from Kyokushin and professional kickboxing to the creation of Shidokan — and the incredible Martial Arts Triathlon, where the same fighters compete under karate, kickboxing and grappling rules.

🎬 Shidokan: The Karate Style That Mixed Everything
Sunday at 2 PM CET

⭐ Channel Members get early access 48 hours before the public release.

📚 And if you enjoy the deeper history behind the splits, rivalries and different paths that shaped modern karate, Way of the Empty Hand — Volume II: The Great Karate Split is also available now. You’ll find the book link in the video description.

Karate. Kickboxing. Grappling. One system.

See you Sunday.

Oss! 🥋

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 183

Archangel Dojo

NEW VIDEO TODAY — THE SABAKI CHALLENGE 🥋

A new Archangel Dojo documentary is coming today.

This time we're looking at Enshin Karate and the Sabaki Challenge — where it came from, what made its rules so different, and why a fighting system built around angles, sweeps, throws and positional control never became as big as it probably could have.

And there's another reason this one is special:

📖 Way of the Empty Hand II: The Great Karate Split is officially out.

The new book continues the story of karate through the rivalries, divisions and new styles that shaped the modern martial art — and both volumes are now available on Amazon.

📚 Way of the Empty Hand — Volumes I & II:

www.amazon.com/dp/B0HGXH8P26

See you at 5 PM CET. Osu. 🥋

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 146

Archangel Dojo

It’s finally here.

Way of the Empty Hand II: The Great Karate Split is now available on Amazon.

This book continues the story where Volume I ended — into the post-war era, when karate began to fracture into competing styles, organizations and radically different ideas of what karate should become.

Oyama. Nakayama. Kurosaki. The JKA. Kyokushin. And the people and events that shaped modern karate.

Available now in paperback:
www.amazon.com/dp/B0HGY1CJ2W

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 83

Archangel Dojo

Funakoshi vs Motobu — The Rivalry That Changed Karate

Can two men completely disagree about what karate should be — and both be right?

This week’s documentary explores one of the most fascinating rivalries in karate history: Gichin Funakoshi and Chōki Motobu — two Okinawan masters, two radically different visions of karate, and a conflict whose influence can still be felt today.

🥋 Channel members can watch the full documentary NOW — 48 hours before everyone else.

📅 Public release: Saturday at 2:00 PM CET

📖 And if you want to go deeper, I dedicated a significant part of Way of the Empty Hand to Funakoshi, Motobu and the generation that brought karate from Okinawa to mainland Japan. Volume One is available now, and Volume Two is coming in less than a month.

See you Saturday. 🥋

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 121

Archangel Dojo

🥋 NEW DOCUMENTARY — MEMBERS CAN WATCH NOW!

Karate Fighters Who Dominated K-1 is now available exclusively for Archangel Dojo members.

Today, K-1 is remembered as the golden age of heavyweight kickboxing. But some of the fighters who defined its history came from a very different world — karate.

Andy Hug. Francisco Filho. Semmy Schilt. Glaube Feitosa. Sam Greco. Musashi. Nicholas Pettas. Ewerton Teixeira…

This documentary explores the forgotten karate legacy behind K-1 — from its Seidokaikan origins and the first World Grand Prix to the Kyokushin invasion and the rise of one of the most dominant champions in K-1 history.

🔒 Members can watch the full documentary NOW.

🌍 PUBLIC RELEASE:
📅 Saturday, August 15
⏰ 2:00 PM CET

📖 WAY OF THE EMPTY HAND

If you want to go deeper into the history behind the karate featured on this channel, Volume I of my book Way of the Empty Hand is available now:

www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS1LXGZV

And the story continues soon — Volume II is coming in September.

🥋 Not a member yet? Hit JOIN to support Archangel Dojo and get early access to documentaries like this one.

For those who have already watched it:

Who do you consider the greatest karate fighter in K-1 history? 👇

1 month ago | [YT] | 86

Archangel Dojo

🥋 NEW DOCUMENTARY AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCKUy...

The new documentary, "Why Kickboxers Say 'Os'", is now available with early access for all channel members!

Millions of kickboxers around the world say "Os", but very few know where this tradition actually came from.

In this documentary, we explore the origins of the word Os, why it became an essential part of Kyokushin Karate, and how it eventually spread into Japanese kickboxing, Dutch kickboxing, K-1, and eventually martial arts gyms around the world.

This is also the story of Mas Oyama, Kenji Kurosaki, Mejiro Gym, and one of the most influential cultural traditions in modern combat sports.

📖 Way of the Empty Hand – Volume I is available now on Amazon, and I'm excited to announce that Volume II—covering the birth of Japanese kickboxing, the legacy of Kenji Kurosaki, and many other forgotten chapters of martial arts history—will be released next month.

www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS1LXGZV

▶️ The public premiere is on Saturday at 14:00 CET.

If you're already a member, you can watch it right now. If not, I'll see you at the premiere!

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments after you watch it.

🥋 Oss!

1 month ago | [YT] | 63

Archangel Dojo

🥋 NEW DOCUMENTARY — MEMBERS WATCH NOW!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zcb6...

In February 1964, three Japanese karate fighters entered Bangkok’s legendary Lumpinee Stadium to challenge Muay Thai on its own ground.

Representing Mas Oyama’s full-contact approach to karate, Tadashi Nakamura, Akio Fujihira and Kenji Kurosaki fought under rules that allowed punches, kicks, knees, elbows and clinch fighting.

Karate officially won two fights out of three.

But the one Japanese fighter who lost may have changed martial arts history more than the two who won.

Channel members can watch the complete documentary now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zcb6...

The Night Karate Challenged Muay Thai — And Japanese Kickboxing Was Born will be released publicly this Saturday.

This historic confrontation is also explored in greater depth in the upcoming second volume of my book, WAY OF THE EMPTY HAND, arriving this September.

The first volume is already available worldwide through Amazon:

📘 www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS1LXGZV

If you would like early access to new documentaries, exclusive audiobook chapters and additional material, you can support Archangel Dojo by using the JOIN button on the channel.

To all existing members: thank you for making this work possible. I hope you enjoy the new documentary.

1 month ago | [YT] | 79

Archangel Dojo

🥋 **The Complete History of Kenpo is here!**

The most comprehensive video I've ever made on the history and evolution of Kenpo is now available exclusively for channel members.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkmrC...

From Shaolin and Okinawa to Japan, Hawaii, and the modern world of martial arts, this video follows the complete journey of one of the most influential fighting traditions ever created.

🔒 Members can watch it right now with Early Access.

🌍 The video becomes PUBLIC this Saturday at 2:00 PM (14:00).

If you'd like to support the channel, get **early access**, exclusive bonus content, and help me continue creating in-depth martial arts documentaries, consider becoming a member. Membership starts at a very affordable price and truly makes a difference.

📖 If you enjoy the history of karate and martial arts, you may also like my book:

Way of the Empty Hand
www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS1LXGZV

Thank you all for your support. I can't wait to hear what you think about this one!

1 month ago | [YT] | 86

Archangel Dojo

🥋 New documentary is now available... exclusively for Channel Members!

Today's video explores the fascinating story of Gosoku-Ryu Karate and its founder, Tak Kubota—the karate master who invented the Kubotan.

For the next 48 hours, the documentary is available only to Channel Members. After that, it will become public for everyone.

If you'd like to watch it early, get access to exclusive audiobook chapters from Way of the Empty Hand II, and support the future of the channel, consider becoming a member today.

📚 Way of the Empty Hand
www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS1LXGZV

I'm also excited to announce that Volume II is coming this September. Members already have access to several chapters, with more on the way—and may even get early access before the official release.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Osu! 👊

2 months ago | [YT] | 96